Monday night we had dinner with my family in remembrance of my Grandma Ellie, who passed on Feb 23 last year. It was a great evening, with a lot of wonderful conversation. We talked about her and what she stood for, and how she gave us this amazing gift: she taught us how to important it was to keep together as a family. This is becoming true even more now that economic reality makes it so hard to stay on your own.
What was really great for me though, was the conversation about how we got to this place as a country. I brought up the articles I had been seeing about how "upsetting" it was that Americans will be forced to lower their standard of living, and how completely odd it is to me that this is seen as a bad thing. Mom brought up a lot of interesting ideas that totally helped me to understand how me got here.
The one that really got me was this one: that parents want a better life for their children than they had. Sure, it sounds great on the surface, and it totally makes sense in context of human history but really, how long that can continue? And in terms of survival and material things, that's been the case. Every generation has more stuff, and less of a struggle for survival (as a group, anyway).
Since I'm not a parent, I'd never thought about it that way, but that little thought drives so much of cultural momentum. So of course, we talked about changing what "better" meant. Instead of more stuff, larger houses, cooler cars, what if better meant a more meaningful, fulfilled and sustainable life? Which (my Mom said) was exactly the direction they were trying to go in the 60s. But something happened. She was so confused about it, and had no idea what happened, or when it did, but everyone kind of forgot what they had believed in just a few years earlier.
I can relate a bit, since the same thing happened to my college age idealism for a while, but at our dinner table we agreed it was a conundrum. This huge movement for whatever reason just fizzled. It was our chance to change at our own pace. Now its too late, the change is more forced, and more painful.
Still, at the end of the dinner, we were all very clear, what's on the other side of this is in fact a better life. Just not the type of better we are used to.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
SAG negotiations fall through
Stupid SAG. Don't they know how many people are out of work because of them right now? I do get it....they just wanted the contract to come to term at the same time as everyone else (so they can all negotiate a better deal together in 2011) and actually, I think its the right thing to go for. But I'm annoyed because I was really hopeful that they could work it out and get some sort of contract signed so Jeremy will be able to work again. Grrr.
Friday, February 20, 2009
The End is Coming!
Or so they want you to think. I keep reading all these doom and gloom type articles saying how the American "standard of living" is going to drop permanently. And?
Look, Americans have been living above their means for decades. The household savings ratio (what the average person made versus what they spent) was either below one or negative for most of my lifetime, and a good section of my parents as well. Negative means the same thing as when you see a negative balance in your checking account...you spent more than you had.
How bout the whole "America uses around 25% of the world's resources" statistic that I hear so often? I'm also hearing a lot of sound bites along the lines of "America is the world's consumer. If we stop consuming, China (or any other export country) has no one to sell to."
Seriously? We don't save, and have, as a country decided to actually deficit spend in our households. (The gov't deficit is a whole separate thread) We use and buy so much crap that we are the number one waster, polluter and consumer of natural resources, and whole sections of other country's economies are built around our need to buy buy buy! Heck, our own economy is based on it. Why else would everyone tell us to "Go Shopping" in order to strengthen the country?
Take a step back and it seems pretty clear that this is a trend that cannot and should not continue. We had a chance in the 80s and 90s to change our ways and be a bit more responsible. Now we are forced. Sure it hurts and its hard, but its also what had to happen. Its not the end of the world, its the beginning of a mature America.
Look, Americans have been living above their means for decades. The household savings ratio (what the average person made versus what they spent) was either below one or negative for most of my lifetime, and a good section of my parents as well. Negative means the same thing as when you see a negative balance in your checking account...you spent more than you had.
How bout the whole "America uses around 25% of the world's resources" statistic that I hear so often? I'm also hearing a lot of sound bites along the lines of "America is the world's consumer. If we stop consuming, China (or any other export country) has no one to sell to."
Seriously? We don't save, and have, as a country decided to actually deficit spend in our households. (The gov't deficit is a whole separate thread) We use and buy so much crap that we are the number one waster, polluter and consumer of natural resources, and whole sections of other country's economies are built around our need to buy buy buy! Heck, our own economy is based on it. Why else would everyone tell us to "Go Shopping" in order to strengthen the country?
Take a step back and it seems pretty clear that this is a trend that cannot and should not continue. We had a chance in the 80s and 90s to change our ways and be a bit more responsible. Now we are forced. Sure it hurts and its hard, but its also what had to happen. Its not the end of the world, its the beginning of a mature America.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Finances!
This week feels schizophrenic. Jeremy and I are both vacillating between happy and hopeful about the future and freaked out, overwhelmed and stressed about . Of course, the major topics to insert were centered around finances: job hunting, taxes, debt, bank fees, and missing disability checks.
But no fear. For the most part, the stress is short lived, and the reality is that we are sailing along pretty well. We did our taxes for 2008 on Sunday, which felt great. Our refund will go straight to paying off taxes owed from 2007, but hey, that's less debt for us to pay. Jeremy has a job this weekend, which doesn't pay anything, but will help in the networking department.
Last week he went to the Local Union Branch 80 - the union that handles grips and whatnot for film and TV production - and took the first steps to becoming a member. In order to be eligible, he has to work 30 days on a union job within a year. And the only time he can work on a union job is on days when a production needs so much extra help, they get a permit to allow for non-union workers. So Jeremy gets to call in between 4 and 6 am in the morning to check which productions have permits that day. Yikes! It'll be a while before he gets any permitted work through them, as the whole industry is suffering and there's currently not enough work for all the union members, but eventually, things will turn around.
In the meantime he's getting disability from his injury in November. We were getting pretty frustrated that his disability check was so late, and I was worried that it was delayed because of the whole CA state budget thing (they finally signed a budget today!!!), so I asked him to call, and what a relief! It wasn't delayed because of a lack of money, it was delayed because they were waiting on the lame ass worker's comp insurance company (who are not paying him) to send proof that they are not paying him. Lucky they sent it to Jeremy a couple weeks ago. Jer was able to fax that letter right over, and we should be seeing a check within a week. Not only that, but they are also sending forms over for him to get his doc to sign, so he can get payment for the month of December as well.
This totally relieves our stresses about paying for rent, car insurance, loan payments and food from one paycheck. We had gotten ourselves a bit stuck with this last one, and really could use that extra income.
Overall, things are good. And as long as I keep reminding myself how lucky we are, the stress doesn't stay for long. :)
But no fear. For the most part, the stress is short lived, and the reality is that we are sailing along pretty well. We did our taxes for 2008 on Sunday, which felt great. Our refund will go straight to paying off taxes owed from 2007, but hey, that's less debt for us to pay. Jeremy has a job this weekend, which doesn't pay anything, but will help in the networking department.
Last week he went to the Local Union Branch 80 - the union that handles grips and whatnot for film and TV production - and took the first steps to becoming a member. In order to be eligible, he has to work 30 days on a union job within a year. And the only time he can work on a union job is on days when a production needs so much extra help, they get a permit to allow for non-union workers. So Jeremy gets to call in between 4 and 6 am in the morning to check which productions have permits that day. Yikes! It'll be a while before he gets any permitted work through them, as the whole industry is suffering and there's currently not enough work for all the union members, but eventually, things will turn around.
In the meantime he's getting disability from his injury in November. We were getting pretty frustrated that his disability check was so late, and I was worried that it was delayed because of the whole CA state budget thing (they finally signed a budget today!!!), so I asked him to call, and what a relief! It wasn't delayed because of a lack of money, it was delayed because they were waiting on the lame ass worker's comp insurance company (who are not paying him) to send proof that they are not paying him. Lucky they sent it to Jeremy a couple weeks ago. Jer was able to fax that letter right over, and we should be seeing a check within a week. Not only that, but they are also sending forms over for him to get his doc to sign, so he can get payment for the month of December as well.
This totally relieves our stresses about paying for rent, car insurance, loan payments and food from one paycheck. We had gotten ourselves a bit stuck with this last one, and really could use that extra income.
Overall, things are good. And as long as I keep reminding myself how lucky we are, the stress doesn't stay for long. :)
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Hello World!
Wow, its been almost two weeks. Sorry guys, I've been so swamped with accounting crap that any extra time on a computer just felt like torture. But its over now (the crap, not the accounting, thank god) and I am back. Woo!!
SO much to blog about. Lots of rants I could go on, and lots of interesting topics, but I'm going to focus on two that affect us here in the entertainment industry in the state of California: the SAG strike negotiations and the California legislature.
/begin rant
SAG is STILL in negotiations with the studios. They are meeting today, hopefully to finally agree on something. Cause this is not the time to strike. EVERYONE connected to the film and TV industry is hurting because of this stupid contract negotiation. The economy is tight, so no one wants to waste money starting a project only to find out SAG is striking and they have to stop production, and that means that not only the actors, lighting, sound, camera men, directors, and producers are out of works but the caterers, the cleaning people, the costumers, the day care people, the limos and cabs, the delivery guys, the security men, etc etc. Yes the contract is crappy, and yes if you had leverage you should strike, but SAG, you do not have leverage, you have thousands who are out of work and hurting, so suck it up and take three more years of crappy pay.
And for all those guys who are out of work, do you get unemployment? You thought you did, but its all going to be taken away (or possibly never given), because the Republicans in the legislature won't pass the budget. It has temporary tax increases in it, which they just can't stand. So 20,000 people are laid off, benefits are being slashed or delayed, and everyone in California is not going to receive tax refunds anywhere near to ontime. And just for kicks, I checked out what they said would be a better solution: they want to cut the "bloated" state dept. Ok, except that even if they fired everyone (which would close prisons, hospitals, national parks, and their own legislature) it still wouldn't fill the budget deficit. So, that's not going to work.
Two groups who are so focused on their own version of "right" that they aren't noticing the reality of what's around them, and California is hurt for it. If there was anything I could do, I would. None of the Republicans are in my district, so they won't accept letters from me, and I'm not a member of SAG. But if anyone reading this is a member of either, do your own research and then write letters, faxes, emails or even call to tell these people to get their heads out of their asses and actually help their constituents.
/end rant
SO much to blog about. Lots of rants I could go on, and lots of interesting topics, but I'm going to focus on two that affect us here in the entertainment industry in the state of California: the SAG strike negotiations and the California legislature.
/begin rant
SAG is STILL in negotiations with the studios. They are meeting today, hopefully to finally agree on something. Cause this is not the time to strike. EVERYONE connected to the film and TV industry is hurting because of this stupid contract negotiation. The economy is tight, so no one wants to waste money starting a project only to find out SAG is striking and they have to stop production, and that means that not only the actors, lighting, sound, camera men, directors, and producers are out of works but the caterers, the cleaning people, the costumers, the day care people, the limos and cabs, the delivery guys, the security men, etc etc. Yes the contract is crappy, and yes if you had leverage you should strike, but SAG, you do not have leverage, you have thousands who are out of work and hurting, so suck it up and take three more years of crappy pay.
And for all those guys who are out of work, do you get unemployment? You thought you did, but its all going to be taken away (or possibly never given), because the Republicans in the legislature won't pass the budget. It has temporary tax increases in it, which they just can't stand. So 20,000 people are laid off, benefits are being slashed or delayed, and everyone in California is not going to receive tax refunds anywhere near to ontime. And just for kicks, I checked out what they said would be a better solution: they want to cut the "bloated" state dept. Ok, except that even if they fired everyone (which would close prisons, hospitals, national parks, and their own legislature) it still wouldn't fill the budget deficit. So, that's not going to work.
Two groups who are so focused on their own version of "right" that they aren't noticing the reality of what's around them, and California is hurt for it. If there was anything I could do, I would. None of the Republicans are in my district, so they won't accept letters from me, and I'm not a member of SAG. But if anyone reading this is a member of either, do your own research and then write letters, faxes, emails or even call to tell these people to get their heads out of their asses and actually help their constituents.
/end rant
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Kiva.org
Many of you may remember me mentioning Kiva.org once or twice. I LOVE this organization. They distribute micro loans to entrepreneurs in third world countries. Its empowering, for both the giver and the receiver of the loans, which the main requirement for any charity I support: it has to empower the receipient.
Here's a video story of exactly how a Kiva loan works:
A Fistful Of Dollars: The Story of a Kiva.org Loan from Kieran Ball on Vimeo.
Here's a video story of exactly how a Kiva loan works:
A Fistful Of Dollars: The Story of a Kiva.org Loan from Kieran Ball on Vimeo.
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